Author: Alan Shaw

Liz Wilson set up Columbus Coaching in 2002 and is an accredited coach and mentor with the UK College of Life Coaching and is also a UK member of the International Coach Federation. This all came about because of a chance meting on a train some years ago and Liz completely changed direction , leaving behind 25 years in music publishing.
She gave members a real insight about what coaching is (and is not) - see over page for details.
"I bring enthusiasm and curiosity about my clients’ goals and dreams to the coaching relationship. I have total belief in their ability to succeed and a deep desire to help them design strategies to effect the changes they want."
To contact Liz, call her on 0845 226 3154.

August Social
In August we plan to hold a joint social evening with Burton Business Club and we shall be hosting the event. We have now settled on a professional guided tour of Lichfield followed by a buffet, drinks and networking in a local hostelry. This should be a pleasant, informative and relaxed event where the emphasis really is on the social side. This event is to be subsidized by the Club, so make sure to book your place. More details will be given next month, so watch this space!
Coaching better for business learners
Coaching has emerged as one of the most effective training and development methods, eclipsing traditional classroom learning, in a survey of human resource professionals. The poll, carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), found that 96% of respondents favoured the coaching approach to training. However, two thirds of the sample believe there isn’t enough regulation or accreditation in the coaching industry.
For more on this issue, go to:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/press/PressRelease/TDS
Chair & Membership Secretary - Debbie Baker- Thomas 01543 308621
Vice Chair and Treasurer –Chris Edwards - 01543 263915
Newsletter and Club Programme –Alan Shaw - 01889 584147
Social Secretary – Sandra Booth - 01785 353808
Member – Andy Laverick – 08707 456280
Secretary – Warren Bradley – 01543 472747

Business and Life Coaching…

Other Information

Despatches

2004 Club Programme
2nd June - Computer Tips & Tricks Surgery, including file management, security, spam and searching the Internet
7th July - Local customs & traditions(TBC)
4th August - Social with Burton Business Club (see main body of text)
1st September - Personal Development
6th October - Business Topic
3rd November - AGM plus Lichfield Festival
1st December - Social - Xmas Party

Lichfield District Business Club Newsletter

May 2004

This story can fit 150-200 words.
One benefit of using your newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing materials, such as press releases, market studies, and reports.
While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might be to sell your product or service, the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful to your readers.
A great way to add useful content to your newsletter is to develop and write your own articles, or include a calendar of upcoming events or a special offer that promotes a new product.
You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short.
Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Publisher offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.

This story can fit 75-125 words.
Selecting pictures or graphics is an important part of adding content to your newsletter.
Think about your article and ask yourself if the picture supports or enhances the message you’re trying to convey. Avoid selecting images that appear to be out of context.
Microsoft Publisher includes thousands of clip art images from which you can choose and import into your newsletter. There are also several tools you can use to draw shapes and symbols.
Once you have chosen an image, place it close to the article. Be sure to place the caption of the image near the image.

This story can fit 100-150 words.
The subject matter that appears in newsletters is virtually endless. You can include stories that focus on current technologies or innovations in your field.
You may also want to note business or economic trends, or make predictions for your customers or clients.
If the newsletter is distributed internally, you might comment upon new procedures or improvements to the business. Sales figures or earnings will show how your business is growing.
Some newsletters include a column that is updated every issue, for instance, an advice column, a book review, a letter from the president, or an editorial. You can also profile new employees or top customers or vendors.

This story can fit 150-200 words.
One benefit of using your newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing materials, such as press releases, market studies, and reports.
While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might be to sell your product or service, the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful to your readers.
A great way to add useful content to your newsletter is to develop and write your own articles, or include a calendar of upcoming events or a special offer that promotes a new product.
You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short.
Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Publisher offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.

This story can fit 75-125 words.
Selecting pictures or graphics is an important part of adding content to your newsletter.
Think about your article and ask yourself if the picture supports or enhances the message you’re trying to convey. Avoid selecting images that appear to be out of context.
Microsoft Publisher includes thousands of clip art images from which you can choose and import into your newsletter. There are also several tools you can use to draw shapes and symbols.
Once you have chosen an image, place it close to the article. Be sure to place the caption of the image near the image.

This story can fit 100-150 words.
The subject matter that appears in newsletters is virtually endless. You can include stories that focus on current technologies or innovations in your field.
You may also want to note business or economic trends, or make predictions for your customers or clients.
If the newsletter is distributed internally, you might comment upon new procedures or improvements to the business. Sales figures or earnings will show how your business is growing.
Some newsletters include a column that is updated every issue, for instance, an advice column, a book review, a letter from the president, or an editorial. You can also profile new employees or top customers or vendors.

Coaching is emerging as a very popular method that people are adopting more and more to bring about improvements in their personal and professional lives. But what is it? How does it work? Is it like counselling?
On a personal level, coaching is really about the process that helps us to focus upon who we really are, what values and beliefs shape us as people and how we live our lives according to those values and beliefs. It is not uncommon for people to experience a lack of congruence between their personal values and the way that they actually behave and conduct their lives. A good coach would therefore be able to help people resolve that incongruence by themselves and put some positivity in its place. A similar situation can exist regarding our beliefs, whether they be positive or negative ones; beliefs are just that, not necessarily based upon facts and they can be true or false. It is the false beliefs about ourselves that can really constrain our development as people, often seemingly preventing us from doing the things we want to do. It is rooted in the notion that if we believe we cannot do something - true or false - then we almost certainly will not even attempt to do it, thereby reaffirming the validity of the belief. A good coach will help people to address the areas of what might be a possibility for them and help them to adjust their false beliefs about themselves. Success and achievement in life are really a matter of good planning and focussed hard work. This naturally means that a sense of achievement occurs when we attain our goals (what we set out to do), which means we need some goals to work towards. A good coach will help us to set structured goals according to our own priorities and to formulate a plan to make it all happen. So, the coach’s role is that of a guide or mentor that gets us to think about ourselves, who we are, what we want and then gets us to do all the hard work that will make it all happen. And that takes some skill!

Lichfield Business Village
The Friary
Lichfield WS13 6QG

Lichfield District Business Club Newsletter

Phone: 01543 308620
Fax: 01543 308622
Email: hawthornes@lichfield.biz

Promoting interaction in local business

In a nutshell … Club members’ businesses

Liz Wilson set up Columbus Coaching in Lichfield almost 2 years ago so that she could provide clients with personal and professional coaching in order for them to improve their lives in the ways that they want. She is a member of the UK College of Life Coaching.
Liz works in Lichfield where she lives with her two teenage children. Her hobbies are playing the piano, going to concerts, gardening, red wine and talking. She makes a mean Thai curry and loves to walk in the Peak District. Her ambition is to trek to Macchu Picchu and raise £3000 for charity.
Tel: 0845 226 3154
Keith Peace is retired but is considering involving himself in a commercial enterprise. He currently does volunteer work for charities and has produced a number of 'bespoke' databases to ease daily admin. A database can be very effective in the running of a business; it provides the opportunity to analyse data, or to complete a specific task, and you only need to input details once. He is currently working on a 'Company Management System', which deals with the administration of a business. It includes Sales, Purchases, Invoices, VAT, Profit and Loss, Budgets, Projects, Analysis, Reports, plus much more. If someone would like to test this (for free!), please contact Keith on: Tel: 01543 264344
Businesses warned of health and safety scam
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a warning to businesses to ignore a mailshot that is being sent out by rogue firms claiming to regulate health and safety legislation. Three north-west based firms have sent letters to businesses across the UK demanding between £125 and £249 in fees for compliance packs. The HSE does offer a legitimate health and safety advice pack to businesses, but this costs only £30.
For more details of the scam, go to:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2004/e04053.htm

The Club is sponsored by Lloyds TSB, Barclays, SULC and Lichfield District Council

Despatches

Business Topic of the Month - Coaching

Visit your Club web-site at
www.lichfieldbusinessclub.com - it exists to help you

www.lichfieldbusinessclub.com

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